Stationary automatic fire-extinguisher



(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 14 W. F. SINGER.

V STATIONARY AUTOMATIC FIRE EXTINGUISHER.

No. 456,500. Patented July .21, 1891.

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STATIONARY AUTOMATIC FIRE EXTINGUISHBR.

No. 456,500. Patented July 21, 1891. :w W

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STATIONARY AUTOMATIC FIRE BXTINGUISHER.

Patented July 21, 1891.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

IVIIILIAM F. SINGER, OF CARTHAGE. ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO GILBERT Ii.IIAVILAND, OF SYRACUSE, NEW YORK.

STATIONARY AUTOMATIC FIRE-EXTINGUISHER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 456,500, dated July 21,1891. Application filed July 28, 1890. Serial No. 360,237. (No model.)

To all whom it may cancel-IL:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM F. SINGER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Carthage, in the county of Jefferson and State of New York,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in StationaryAutomatic Fire-Extinguishers; and I do declare the following tobe afull, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilledin the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to thefigures of reference marked thereon, which forma part of thisspecification.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements instationary automatic fire-extinguishers; and it has for its objects toprovide buildings with systems of pipes so arranged in connection withstorage-reservoirs charged with condensed non-combustible gases that thegases may be automatically carried to and liberated in the apartment inwhich fire may originate, thus providing an effectual automaticfire-extinguishing apparatus which will serve to effectually extinguishfires without injuring the building or goods contained therein by theuse of water, as is frequently the case where hydraulic appliances areused.

The invention has for its further object to provide in connection withthe system an auxiliary series of charged gas-reservoirs, which are soarranged as to be readily brought into service when required.

The invention has for a further object to provide in connection with thesystem an automatic alarm which will serve to give notice of any escapeof gas, whether the same may be occasioned by leakage or by actual fire.

Another object of the invention is to provide a suitable gage which willat all times indicate the pressure of the gas within thestorage-chambers.

To these ends, and to such others as the invention may pertain, the sameconsists in the peculiar construction, and in the novel combination,arrangement, and adaptation of parts, all as more fully hereinafterdescribed, shown in the accompanying drawings, and

then specifically defined in the appended claim.

The invenion is clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawings, which,with the figures of reference marked thereon, form a part of thisspecification, like figures of reference indicating like partsthroughout the several views, and in which drawings Figure 1 is avertical section of a building provided with my improved system ofautomatic fire-extinguisher. Fig. 2 is a side view of the casecontaining the gas-storing reservoirs. Fig. 3 is a central verticallongitudinal section of the case. Fig. at is a transverse section ofthe. same. Fig. 5 is a bottom plan view of the ceiling of one of theroomsin the 6 equipped building. Fig. (3 is a central vertical sectionthrough the pressure -reducing valve, and Fig. 7 is a central verticalsection of the valve controlling the automatic alarm. Fig. Sis enlargedvertical. longitudinal section of one of the sprinkler-heads and aportion of the connecting-pipe.

Reference now being bad to the details of the drawings by figures ofreference, I designates a building, and 3, 3, at, and 5 the variousstories of the same. Within a suitable case or chamber (3 in thebasement of the building is stored two separate series of gas-reservoirs7 and 8. These reservoirs are preferably arranged one above another andare in the present instance shown as supported upon suitable arms orbrackets 9, extending from the rear inner wall of the case. Thesereservoirs are adapted to contain non-combustible under a high state ofcompression. The reservoirs in series 7 are each connected with thecommon pipe 10, from which the gas is admitted to the pipes 11 afterpassing through the pressure-reducing valve 12, and thence is conductedthrough the various pipes 13 and returned by the pipes 1a to the upperortion of the valve 12, where it serves to automatically regulate thefurther supply of gas from the reservoirs.

The pipe 15, leading from the valve 12, is 5 provided with an extension17, which leads to an alarm-whistle 18, and an automaticallyoperatedvalve 16, interposed upon said pipe 17, serves to regulate the supply ofgas to the whistle, as will be more fully hereinafter described, while agage 19 upon the pipe 20 serves to indicate at all times the pressure ofthe gas within the reservoirs.

Uponreference to Fig. 6 of the drawings the construction and operationof the valve 12 for reducing the pressure of the gas within thebuilding-pipes will be more readily understood. It will be observed thatthe body portion of this valve is divided by means of the centralhorizontal partition 21 into two chambers 22 and 23, and passedvertically through the partition 21 is the piston-rod 24:, a suitablegland and stuffing-box 25 being provided within the partition 21. Apiston 26 is provided at the upper end of the pistonrod 24:, and at thelower end of the rod is provided with a valve 27, adapted, when the rodis at its lowest point, to close the opening 28 in the valve-seat 29.

The operation of the valve 12 is as follows: The gas entering throughthe valve-controlled opening 28 serves to force the piston upward, thusadmitting the gas to the pipe 15, whence it passes through the pipes ofthe building system, and after the said pipes have been filled the gasenters the upper chamber of the valve-case, exerting a pressure upon theupper face of the piston 26, the diameter of which being much greaterthan the bearing surface afforded by the valve 27 at the lower end ofthe piston-rod the pressure of but a few pounds upon the piston willserve to seat the valve against the greater pressure of the gas withinthe storage-chambers.

I will now describe the operation of the valve 16, which serves toregulate'the supply of gas to the whistle. It will be observed that thesaid valve is placed upon the extreme end of the pipe 15, and that thewhistlepipe 17, which is of much smaller diameter, connects with theopposite side of the valvecase. The verticallymoving valve is providedwith a conical bottom portion, and

it will also be noted that within the chamber 28 above the upper end ofthe valve is placed a spiral spring 29, said spring having a directbearing upon the upper end ot the valve, the tension of the said springbeing regulated by the set-screw 30, passed vertically through the upperend of the valve-case. A small tube or passage-way 31 connects the pipe15 with the space beneath the lower end of the valve and serves to admitthe gas beneath the valve, where it serves to raise the valve againstthe tension of the spring 29, and thus close the outlet to thewhistle-pipe. WVhen the spring 29 forces the valve down,thelwhistle-pipe will be opened. The tension of the spring upon thevalve having been properly adjusted in accordance with the pressureknown to exist upon the pipes in the building, the gas at thispredetermined pressure will serve to sound the whistle; but a slightdischarge of the gas caused by a fire or by other escape will, after avery short interval, serve to sufliciently reduce the pressure upon thelower end of the valve to enable the tension of the spring 29 to forcethe valve downward, and thus close the inlet to the whistle-pipe.

The series of storage-reservoirs 8 constitute an auxiliarystoragesupply. These reservoirs communicate with the pipe 33, which iscommon to all of the reservoirs in theseries, said pipe leading to apoint outside of the building, where it is provided with a valve 34:,and thence by the pipe 25 it communicates with the lower end of thepressure-reducing valve 12.

The pipes 13, which are arranged in proximity to the ceiling of theseveral apartments of the building, are provided at intervals withgas-distributing outlets 36, which may be of any of the various forms ofheads adapted to the purpose, such as are usually controlled by valvesheld in place by fusible solder or other like substances.

It will be seen from the foregoing description that the pressure of thegas within the building-pipes will be at all times a nominal one, and inthe event of leakage'from any cause, whether the same be'due to anaccident or to actual opening of the distributers by an increase oftemperature, that the supply of gas will be at all times maintained. Thegage 19 enables a person to any time determine the pressure of the gaswithin the storage-chambers and approximately to know the pressure uponthe building-pipes.

In case of necessity the auxiliary gas-supply contained in the series 8of reservoirs may be brought into use by simply turning the valve 3%upon the outside of the building.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim to be new, and desireto secure by Letters Patent, is

The combination of the building-pipes, the gas-receptacle, the pipeconnecting the same, the valve interposed between the gasreceptacle andthe building-pipes and adapted to normally regulate the pressure withinthe building-pipes and to allow free ingress of the gas upon occasion ofleakage, the indicating-gage connected with the pipeleading from thegas-receptacle, an alarm-whistle connected with the pipes of thebuilding system and adapted to be sounded automatically upon occasion ofincreased pressure therein caused by leakage, an auxiliarygas-receptacle connected with the pipes of the building system, andmeans, as the valve 34, located upon the outside of the building foradmitting the gas from the auxiliary receptacle to the buildingsystempipes, substantially as and for the purpose described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM F. SINGER.

Witnesses:

FRANKLIN II. HOUGH, C. W. CURTIS.

